1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to surgical navigation systems. More particularly, this invention relates to a positional device attached to a substrate that assists in determining the position and relative movement of an anatomical structure within a patient.
2. Background Art
The use of surgical navigation systems for assisting surgeons during surgery is quite common. Some systems are used to track the movement of bony structures. Determining the precise location of a bony structure, and whether it has moved, is essential when utilizing surgical instruments in fields such as orthopedic surgery. Typical surgical navigation systems utilize trackers that are rigidly attached to the underlying bony structure being monitored. Rigid attachment of navigation trackers to the bony structure is often an extremely invasive procedure that may cause additional trauma to the patient and wastes a significant amount of time. The present invention provides a system for monitoring the position and change in position of a bony structure with little or no invasiveness in a shorter amount of time.